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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Late last week, Minnesota regulators gave the green light for developers to proceed with construction of the 200-megawatt (MW) Byron Solar project in Dodge County. But the approval is just a drop in the bucket for a state that currently generates 3% of its power from the sun but is calling on utilities to generate 100% carbon-free power by 2040.
The Byron project is being developed by EDF Renewables (San Diego, California), a unit of France's Electricite de France (Paris), and despite unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the project was not without some pushback.
Minnesota state law prohibits building power plants that include more than half an acre of prime farmland per megawatt of generation capacity unless there is "no feasible or prudent alternative." About 69% of the Byron project's footprint, or 1,080 acres, sits on prime farmland, raising concerns about the land being taken out of cultivation and leading renters to have to transport their tractors and equipment over longer distances in order to farm.
However, in January state administrative law judge Barbara Case found that the project would cause "negligible loss" of farmland in the county. "There is no feasible and prudent alternative within a reasonable geographic area available to construct [Byron Solar] and not impact prime farmland," she wrote in a January decision, according to local media.
EDF had a leg up on other renewable developers applying for projects on the grid run by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which encompasses 15 states. MISO requires many projects in the approval queue to make expensive transmission improvements to link facilities to the grid. The Byron project was approved, in part, because it had a grid interconnection agreement for 50% of the project and is getting close to obtaining an agreement for the remaining 50%. "There are very few projects that have [interconnection] agreements now, and the fact that this has one is important," said PUC Commissioner Joe Sullivan.
Construction on the Byron project is expected to begin late this year or early next year and is expected to take about a year to complete. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for the full report.
Among the largest solar-generation projects to be approved by the Minnesota PUC in recent months is Xcel Energy Incorporated's (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) brownfield Sherco solar facility, being built near the company's coal-fired Sherburne County (Sherco) Generating Station, which has plans in place to retire all three coal-fired units in the coming years. The facility will be constructed in two 230-MW blocks, East and West, for a nameplate generating capacity of 460 MW. Construction is expected to kick off this year, taking an estimated two years to complete. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Other solar-power projects being developed in Minnesota include National Grid plc's (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) Regal photovoltaic plant near Royalton, about 20 miles north of St. Cloud. The solar farm, which will have a generating capacity of 100 MW, is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Other solar projects in the state have a smaller capacity, such as Otter Tail Corporation's (NASDAQ:OTTR) (Fergus Fall, Minnesota) Hoot Lake project in Fergus Falls. The facility will use approximately 170,000 solar panels to achieve nameplate generation of 49.9 MW. Construction kicked off last summer and is expected to be completed in summer 2023. Subscribers can click here for more information.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here for a look at the reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
The Byron project is being developed by EDF Renewables (San Diego, California), a unit of France's Electricite de France (Paris), and despite unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the project was not without some pushback.
Minnesota state law prohibits building power plants that include more than half an acre of prime farmland per megawatt of generation capacity unless there is "no feasible or prudent alternative." About 69% of the Byron project's footprint, or 1,080 acres, sits on prime farmland, raising concerns about the land being taken out of cultivation and leading renters to have to transport their tractors and equipment over longer distances in order to farm.
However, in January state administrative law judge Barbara Case found that the project would cause "negligible loss" of farmland in the county. "There is no feasible and prudent alternative within a reasonable geographic area available to construct [Byron Solar] and not impact prime farmland," she wrote in a January decision, according to local media.
EDF had a leg up on other renewable developers applying for projects on the grid run by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which encompasses 15 states. MISO requires many projects in the approval queue to make expensive transmission improvements to link facilities to the grid. The Byron project was approved, in part, because it had a grid interconnection agreement for 50% of the project and is getting close to obtaining an agreement for the remaining 50%. "There are very few projects that have [interconnection] agreements now, and the fact that this has one is important," said PUC Commissioner Joe Sullivan.
Construction on the Byron project is expected to begin late this year or early next year and is expected to take about a year to complete. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for the full report.
Among the largest solar-generation projects to be approved by the Minnesota PUC in recent months is Xcel Energy Incorporated's (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) brownfield Sherco solar facility, being built near the company's coal-fired Sherburne County (Sherco) Generating Station, which has plans in place to retire all three coal-fired units in the coming years. The facility will be constructed in two 230-MW blocks, East and West, for a nameplate generating capacity of 460 MW. Construction is expected to kick off this year, taking an estimated two years to complete. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Other solar-power projects being developed in Minnesota include National Grid plc's (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) Regal photovoltaic plant near Royalton, about 20 miles north of St. Cloud. The solar farm, which will have a generating capacity of 100 MW, is expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Other solar projects in the state have a smaller capacity, such as Otter Tail Corporation's (NASDAQ:OTTR) (Fergus Fall, Minnesota) Hoot Lake project in Fergus Falls. The facility will use approximately 170,000 solar panels to achieve nameplate generation of 49.9 MW. Construction kicked off last summer and is expected to be completed in summer 2023. Subscribers can click here for more information.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here for a look at the reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
